Broken Window

About a week ago someone broke our office window. While nothing was stolen it did unnerve some of our neighbors who were working late. The police were called, they assumed it was kids looking for easy items to pawn. As stated nothing was taken and the window is being fixed today.

Council of Foundations gathering

Here are two pictures for Council of Foundations gathering in Seattle.
First picture is the crowd from opening session and second picture is a reflection of some of the work being done during on of the Diversity Sections.

Just Returned From COF

Just got back from Council of Foundations annual meeting. The meeting was good. I followed most of the Poverty Track but also did get to see some of the Diversity gatherings.

Met a number of current and past NNG members and many of our brother/sister Joint Affinity Group organization staff.

I will put up a few pictres in a few days.

Once again thank you all who have renewed your membership.

Council of Foundations Conference

Here in Minnesota it is colder than normal. Just about everywhere across the USA weather is colder then normal. Hope things are going well for you.

National Network of Grantmakers Board and Transition Committee members are working hard to ensure the values and ideals of NNG are being kept alive.

Many of the NNG Board Members will be at Council of Foundations Conference and would like to hear your thoughts about how NNG can move forward. Many of our brother and sister organizations will have gathering before and after the main meetings. The following are just a few of the events you should consider attending.

Native Americans in Philanthropy
http://www.nativephilanthropy.org/nap_events.html

Hispanics in Philanthropy Annual Meeting
http://www.hiponline.org/home/Resources/Calendar/April+2007+HIP+Annual+Membership+Meeting.htm

Associate of Black Foundation Executives
http://www.abfe.org/publish/2007COFSchedule.pdf

Have a great week.

NNG Status March 19, 2007

Members and Friends:

Greetings and belated New Year! A lot has happened in the four months since National Network of Grantmakers's (NNG) national conference in Chicago. We are sure that those of you who attended the conference would agree it was an amazing experience. The voices of those most affected by the criminal justice system were clearly present and heard. We learned a lot and deepened our commitment to promoting justice. Harry Belafonte's closing speech was truly inspirational and exhibited what it means to live a life of integrity and service.

Throughout 2006, NNG held strategic conversations about mission and objectives in several regions of the U.S., ultimately adopting the “theory of change” as our principal methodology and strategy. The theory of change is a powerful tool to support progressive social justice grant making that incorporates NNG's ideals and priorities. It is a product we can all be proud.

While we celebrate these accomplishments, we are writing to tell you that we are facing immense leadership and financial challenges at this moment in time. Many of you know that Ron McKinley stepped down as Executive Director of NNG in Nov. of 2006, Mari Bongiovanni, NNG's Program Director left the following month, and several NNG Board members left shortly afterwards, due to family illnesses and overwhelming workloads.

In any case, NNG's finances are now in dire straits. We have enough funds on hand to continue for a maximum of two months. NNG’s Board of Directors and a board appointed Transition Committee, led by board chair Elsa Vega Perez and pro bono interim director Ellery July, have been meeting for the past two months in an ongoing effort to appraise the current situation and determine the appropriate next steps.

As we continued to deliberate our future and added value to shaping the issues that are core to our passions and interests it is evident that your voice, your vote, your support need to be registered loudly and clearly. YOU are the key factor in whether or not our beloved NNG can survive. If enough of you care enough about preserving NNG's vision and existence, we can get through this painful period. If enough of you step up to the plate, if only to pay your dues immediately, it would enable NNG to get back on its feet. Here is the GOOD news. We have already raised $10,000 of our $15,000 goal for pledges to match membership dues that we receive in the next few weeks. In addition, we think there may be additional funders, who, if they see enough support from NNG members and friends, will come through for us.

We need 50 members to pay their dues at $300 each to raise $15,000 in membership dues over the next few weeks. Your dues and contributions will be matched up to $15,000 (provided we raise the last $5000 in matching funds!) and we will have up to $30,000 to see us through the next 3-4 months. We will use these funds to meet outstanding obligations, and to continue the vital program work of our working groups, committees, and caucuses.

Many of you are in the habit of paying your dues just before NNG's annual conference. However, NNG will not be hosting a national conference this year and we really need your dues NOW!!!

As NNG leaders, we do not have the life force and financial resources to do this by ourselves. If you join us, together we can save NNG. We CAN do it! Si se puede!

Will you sit down right this moment and write NNG a check for $300 for 2007 dues, plus a contribution if you can? Mail your check to:

Membership
National Network of Grantmakers
2801 21st Avenue South - Suite 132
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407

You can also pay your dues and make a contribution as a secured transaction on NNG’s website, just a few clicks and it’s done! We are in high hopes that you will stand up and be counted. Time is of the essence, SO ACT NOW!!

Please provide us with what we have come to expect from you: rich, sincere thinking and reflections to ensure that our rich history and body of work continues to be a strong beacon in the philanthropic community. We are in the process of setting up a Blog and Feedback section on the NNG website for members to post their creative ideas, comments, and responses.

While we have faith in our members and friends, we have been charged, as NNG's transition committee, with developing a plan for closure in the event we do not raise sufficient funds within the necessary time. Should that happen, we make the following recommendations to NNG's Board and membership:

1) That NNG be disbanded as a free standing organization through a timely, considerate closeout process that would take approximately 90 to120 days, preserving NNG's reputation for rich, creative dialogue and action around racial justice and social change in philanthropy, and demonstrating our respect for the contributions and tireless support of so many of our diverse members, supporters, and allies.

(2) That we encourage the People of Color Caucus, the Racial Equity Committee, the Media Justice Project, and all of NNG"s components, including other working groups, caucuses and committees to initiate exploratory conversations with member groups of the Joint Affinity Groups (JAG), and other funder groups, aimed at identifying opportunities to integrate their programs into new homes.

3) That we establish a vehicle for maintaining the Theory of Change Principles, which we believe, is a critical tool for guiding organizational leadership and developing social justice models in philanthropy.

(4) That we initiate immediate efforts to save and secure historical materials, work products, and membership databases;

(5) That we utilize the NNG website as an information site to post a “thanks for your energy, support, and commitments to social change philanthropy” in an open message to members, funders, donors and contributors.

We seek your input on our efforts to raise needed funds through membership dues and contributions, as well as our recommendations for respectful closure, if that's what must be done. We hope that you too, share our desire to insure that the vision that has been the cornerstone of our organization for more than two-and-one half decades be maintained whichever path we collectively choose.

Please share our hopes and recommendations with your colleagues and co-workers.

We thank each of you for your time and your support, and know that we can continue to count on you. Watch for announcements from our continuing affinity groups. Speak out on the issues that prevent us from realizing the socially just world we seek to achieve. Each time you do, know that you are bringing the vision of the National Network of Grantmakers closer to being realized.

Sincerely,

NNG's Transition Committee Members:

Elsa Vega-Perez, Committee Chair and NNG Board Chair

Ellery July, Interim Director

Sharon Gary Smith and Deborah Small, co-chairs NNG People of Color Caucus

Kolu Zigbi, co-chair, NNG Racial Equity Committee

Arthur Himmelman, Program Advisor

Barbara Meyer, former NNG Board Treasurer

Pictures from Jag Meeting

Pictures of work from Joint Affinity Meeting in Los Angeles California. Strategies and statements in which we will view our work.